I was
intrigued recently to see a program on how Victorians made ice-cream
which led me to wonder where they got the ice from, after all these
were the days before freezers and such machines.
I have, in
the past, read articles referring to ice being imported from Norway
and Scandinavia but thought this would make ice too expensive for
most Georgian or Victorians and therefore be a commodity for the rich
only. Yet we hear of ice-carts selling ice to normal folk within our
towns and villages during these times.
So where
did this ice come from? In winter, if cold enough, ice would be
available to anyone who wanted to go and collect it, but what about
in summer? We know the Victorians were keen on a glass of ice-cream
(they didn't have cones as we know them today) and this would be an
expensive treat during a visit to a seaside town.
The
answer, I was surprised to find out, was ice-houses. Yeap, houses
made to store ice. These constructions were usually built below
ground level to make the most of natural insulation.
Ice was
collected during the winter months from ponds and rivers and wrapped
with straw for extra insulation and then packed into these natural
freezers to see them through the warm summer months. The following
winter stores would be replenished. These ice-houses usually had a
run-off for water, as any dampness would cause the ice to melt
faster. An example of how ice-houses worked can be found on a
schematic taken from Attingham Park in Shropshire. (Courtesy of For Romance Readers).
A bit more
digging and I found a reference to several within Somerset. One
reference in 'Manorial Records' (1817-1825) for the family
Poulett of Hinton St. George made reference to 'work done to the
ice-house'.
Ice House, Eglinton, Ayrshire – Image
courtesy of Wikipedia
According
to Wikipedia, “ice-houses
were first introduced to Britain around 1660. Various types and
designs of ice house exist. However, British ice-houses were commonly
brick lined, domed structures, with most of their volume underground.
Ice houses varied in design depending on the date and builder, but
were mainly conical or rounded at the bottom to hold melted ice. They
usually had a drain to take away any water. It is recorded that the
idea for ice houses was brought to Britain by travellers who had seen
similar arrangements in Italy, where peasants collected ice from the
mountains and used it to keep food fresh inside caves. Ice Houses
may also be known as Ice Wells, Ice Pits or Ice Mounds”.
There are
still examples in Somerset today of ice-houses. A nice example is of
Nynehead Court, near Nynehead, Somerset.
It would
seem these private ice-houses were more for the use of the manor
rather than a commercial enterprise but I'm sure some entrepreneurs
would have made use of this lucrative market.
So, maybe
the ice sold by street vendors did indeed come from Norway or
Scandinavia. If you know, please enlighten us.
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